Review Summary

The wily and resourceful young screenwriter Mike White writes movies that seem as if they were cooked up by the skinny, self-consciously awkward guy who always ends up alone in a corner at the office holiday party. As it happens, Mr. White, who sometimes acts in the films he and others write, is a skinny, seemingly self-aware guy, though given his résumé — “Chuck & Buck,” “The Good Girl,” “School of Rock” and “Nacho Libre” — it’s a safe bet he doesn’t often play the wallflower, at least in Hollywood. “Year of the Dog” is exactly the kind of story you would expect Mr. White to make for his directing debut. It’s funny ha-ha but firmly in touch with its downer side, which means it’s also funny in a kind of existential way.
— Manohla Dargis